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Publish date: Monday 13 May 2019
view count : 78
create date : Monday, May 13, 2019 | 3:04 PM
publish date : Monday, May 13, 2019 | 3:04 PM
update date : Monday, May 13, 2019 | 3:04 PM

Iranian citizen found guilty of espionage for Britain

  • Iranian citizen found guilty of espionage for Britain
غلامحسین اسماعیلی

Iran said on Monday it had sentenced an Iranian national to 10 years in prison for spying for Britain.

Judiciary Spokesman Gholam Hossein Esmaeeli said that the convict was in charge of the ‘Iran desk' at the British Council.

He said the convict, who was arrested by Iranian intelligence and security organizations, had been cooperating with the British espionage service and was tasked with designing, managing and planning cultural infiltration projects in Iran.

The spokesman said the convict has confessions about the process of being recruited by and cooperating with the so-called cultural council of the UK, trainings he received from the UK secret service, and his missions to carry out cultural projects in the country.

The offices related to the British Cultural Council were closed down by authorities in Tehran in 2009 but according to Esmaeeli the council was trying to resume activities in the name of cultural activities.

"In the third phase of their activities, based on a plan backed by the British intelligence service, they started to use Iranian students and other Iranian residents in the UK to communicate with Iranians inside the country. They managed to recruit a number of people and provided them different trainings supported by the British intelligence service. These activities led to four desks known as Iran's desks in the British Cultural Council", he added.

The convict, who had been looking for a job and citizenship in the UK, was trained and then appointed as coordinator of Iran's desk in BC, arranging different activities, Esmaeeli said.

"She commuted between Iran and the UK and designed, planned and managed different cultural projects which were implemented following Britain's cultural aims in Iran."

She confessed to her collaboration with the British intelligence service and also other activities and has been convicted to ten years in prison.

The convict has been in detention for more than a year and we had not informed the media of the case since it had been going through the judicial proceedings, Esmaeeli said.

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